For about six hours each year the CIA headquarters in Virginia is opened to the families of employees. This is an opportunity for those unable to share their daily activities with their family to “show off” the hallways they walk, the security measures they must take each day and even the cafeteria they eat in.
After opening remarks by General Hayden, we toured the “spy” museum and explored the countless exhibits along the labyrinth of corridors used by the various intelligence groups headquartered at this facility. We were able to try on some body armor used by the folks in Iraq (40 lbs.) and inspect other tools used for intelligence gathering and analysis.
I came away impressed and proud. Impressed that so many smart and dedicated people have committed their lives to our protection. Proud that my son is among those attempting to “connect the dots” and prevent the success of a relentless enemy.
Moreover, at a time of rampant political correctness and intolerance to the public display of even the 10 Commandments, I was struck by the reminder chiseled into the marble wall at the entrance to this information gathering and processing institution:
And you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32
Chances are the enemy of your practice is hidden within something you don’t want to look at or know the truth about. Maybe it’s the condition of your personal finances. A sloppy procedure. An audit of that HMO you think you just have to belong to. Or an unwillingness to face a personal habit undermining your power and authority.
Besides childishly prolonging the inevitable day of reckoning, whatever remains unexamined in our business, our relationships and lives holds us in bondage.